As Time Goes By #1

Doing time

day by day by day

evolving

While driving to town the other day the ABC presenter was inviting callers to request their favourite songs on the theme of ‘Time.’ Jim Croce’s If I could save Time in a Bottle came on, and I was immediately thrown back to the 70’s when there were still a few poetic songwriters around making their mark amidst the din of disco. Cher’s If I could turn back Time was an obvious choice, as was Cyndi Lauper’s Time after Time, but I found a few more songs which also seemed appropriate.

Sting’s lyrics from No Time, This Time also from the 70’s, put it succinctly as he observed a world with No time for the complexities of conversation.

If I could

I’d slow the whole world down

I’d bring it to its knees

I’d stop it spinning round

But as it is

I’m climbing up an endless wall

And from Pink Floyd’s Time

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again

Time feels like a fixed thing, it can only go one way, forward. True, and there are many moments when we would love that relentless forward motion and the revolving and rotating of the universe to slow down so we can catch up with ourselves. Deadlines and time constraints dog us every day, and at times we despair of being trapped with no end in sight, on whatever particular treadmill we find ourselves. We long for moments when we can take a deep breath instead of constantly feeling compelled to keep up with some arbitrary schedule set by someone in an office somewhere totally disconnected from who we are and what makes us come alive.

We all have to put food on the table, pay rent or a mortgage, run a household and put the kids through school, as well as juggle home and work and social life in a way that preserves everyone’s sanity. If you’re fortunate enough to do that in a career that brings personal enjoyment and fulfilment, all well and good. But I have a hunch the majority, that is if they’re lucky enough to have a job, turn up to work day after day, go through the motions, pick up the pay packet and repeat the process ad infinitum.

We’re all allotted the same twenty-four hours each day, which we can either fritter away uselessly, or apply ourselves to the best of our ability. Instead of shrinking from facing the day, whether employed or not, we can come to accept that where we are, at this point in time, still has intrinsic worth. It might not be what we would prefer, but it could just be one more step towards where we would like to be. Amid the humdrum of routine or in situations of stress, making a conscious effort to connect with those around us will not only make the workplace a more pleasant and productive place, but our mental well-being will be far better for it.

We all want our lives to mean something, to have a sense of purpose. We don’t have the luxury of yelling Stop the World I want to get off. We’re on it for the long haul, so we might as well do our best by doing it together.